


RWBY One-Shot Requests!

by MusingsFromMars



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Don't copy to another site, F/F, First Dates, Ice Cream, Multi, One Shot, Polyamory, Shower Sex, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23640892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusingsFromMars/pseuds/MusingsFromMars
Summary: Story #1: Cookie Dough Ice Cream (Ruby x Nora x Neo) (NSFW, College AU) for same-old-cliche on tumblrStory #2: White Rose (NSFW) for a-sammich on tumblrStory #3: Baked Alaska (SFW, Ice Cream Shop AU) for a-sammich on tumblrStory #4: Baked Alaska (NSFW, Master Chef AU) for a-sammich on tumblr
Relationships: Neopolitan/Ruby Rose/Nora Valkyrie, Neopolitan/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 66





	1. Cookie Dough Ice Cream (Ruby x Nora x Neo) (NSFW, College AU) for same-old-cliche on tumblr

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Ruby x Nora x Neo) (NSFW), for same-old-cliche on tumblr

(Real-world college AU)

Even during a snowstorm, Nora insisted on dragging her girlfriends to the campus rec center for their daily workouts. She always told them that it was important to stay active every day, especially when it's cold out. Something about external temperatures and metabolism and stuff. Nora was a sports and exercise sciences major, so that was kind of her thing; Ruby and Neo didn't question it. Besides, watching Nora lift weights was both impressive and kind of sexy. Her strength also meant Ruby and Neo had an excuse to ask for piggy back rides everywhere, which came in handy as Nora carried them both across the snow-covered parking lot toward the rec center. Ruby hung onto her back while she carried Neo bridal-style, both of them giggling along the way as their strong girlfriend carried them into the the lobby. Nora let them both down and did a few hops in place. "I am so ready to get some warmth back in these muscles!"

"You know, wearing a jacket would help that," Ruby told her. Nora was already dressed in her tank top and shorts despite the weather, like a maniac. Ruby wore a red hoodie and jeans, her workout attire in her backpack.

"I'm not going to let a little snow flurry dictate my wardrobe," Nora declared, stretching her arms to the sides.

Neo rolled her heterochromatic eyes and shook her head. She had on a long suede trench coat with earmuffs on her head, and yet she was still shivering a bit. She waved her hand to get her girlfriends' attention and signed a request. "Can we get going to the locker room? I need to jump into the hot tub ASAP."

"Aww," Nora cooed, wrapping her arms around Neo. "Baby is cold."

Nora's hugs were always warm and comforting, but with the frigid state she was in right now, Neo was fixated on getting to that hot tub. And so she started walking, pulling Nora along, making Ruby laugh at them both. "Waaaait, I'm not done!" Nora protested as Neo continued on, suppressing a smile as her teeth chattered.

Neo remembered back to how she, Ruby and Nora first began dating. They had been classmates in a freshman level English course. They sat next to one another, and the reason Neo liked them so much was because they actually wanted to include her in her conversations despite her being mute. Neo was so used to one-sided exchanges from people who wanted to be nice but didn't want to put forth the effort to actually get to know her. On the second day of class, Nora slid Neo a piece of notebook paper and told her to write stuff down and show them whenever she had something to add. Eventually, Neo just started writing all of her conversations in a notebook, and by the semester's end, she had almost filled it completely with her responses to Nora and Ruby's small talk and jokes.

The next semester, they didn't have any classes together, so instead Neo contacted them both and asked if they wanted to hang out. They met up at a coffee house one time, and then met up again the next week, and then the next day, and soon enough, Neo had made two close friends. By the end of _that_ semester, she considered them to be the best friends she had ever had. It wouldn't be until the beginning of their sophomore years when things would begin to take a romantic turn.

For what Beacon University lacked in ability to clear away snow from parking lots, it made up for with fancy locker rooms in the rec center. Beyond the entrance was a gray carpeted room lined with silver lockers. To the left was the stainless-steel-filled bathroom and to the right were the showers, hot tub and sauna (yes, a sauna). The place was usually pretty crowded with students, but today, it seemed the gym's usual patrons had made the decision to not trek from their dorms to the rec center to workout. Except Nora and her dedicated GFs, of course.

Nora stretched her arms over her head and sighed. "Welp, I'm heading to the free weights section. Unless you two wanna come watch?"

Ruby plopped her backpack down on a nearby bench and unzipped it. "I think I'll go run on a treadmill or something."

Nora looked over at Neo, her light blue eyes always shining with upbeat energy. "And you're going to swim in the dead of winter like a maniac?"

"You're a maniac," Neo responded, her hands moving in such a way that suggested sarcasm. "You brought us here during a blizzard."

"Well excuse me for keeping to a schedule!" Nora retorted, making Ruby giggle. She then turned and headed for the door. "We shall reconvene in an hour, perhaps?"

"Sounds good," Ruby agreed as Nora left the locker room. She then looked over at Neo and chuckled. "Poor girl, are you still cold?"

Neo nodded, her muscles still trembling in an attempt to warm themselves, but her small stature made retaining heat difficult.

Ruby pulled out a tank top from her bag, along with a pair of running shoes. "You should hop in the hot tub for a bit to warm back up, okay?"

She nodded again, giving Ruby a quick hug before walking past her and heading straight to the hot tub. Ruby laughed and called out "I love you too!" to her.

Neo arrived at the hot tub, which was rather large by typical hot tub standards. No one was in it, thankfully. Sharing a hot tub with anyone but Nora and Ruby always felt awkward. She had brought with her her usual black one-piece swimsuit to swim laps in the pool, but her desire to exercise was nonexistent at the moment. She just wanted to feel warm for the first time since getting out of bed that morning. Therefore, she shed her coat and pulled off her shirt, then undid her belt and pushed down her pants. With every article of clothing she removed, the worse her shivering got. Even as the warm pool of water before her radiated heat, the air around her still felt no better than the air outside. She took off her bra and pushed down her panties, and instead of making the decent choice of putting her swimsuit on beforehand, she tossed her stuff aside and stepped into the water naked. Her usual nervousness of anyone seeing her like this was replaced by her desperation to warm up and the fragile certainty that no one would come back here.

She fought the urge to just immediately jump to the center of the hot tub and immerse herself completely. She knew she could shock her body with the sudden change in temperature, but the ankle-high water she stood in at the moment felt like liquid heaven on her skin. She lowered herself in quickly, stepping down another step into thigh-high water, then sat down into the tub until the water came up to her clavicle. She then let out a long, slow sigh as her body stopped shaking and her muscles relaxed at last. If she were to commit to it, she could fall asleep right then and there. This felt like...a million Nora hugs, or a thousand Ruby kisses...

Neo remembered back to the day they admitted their feelings to each other. It was in October, in the midst of Midterms. Ruby, a computer science major, was hard at work finishing a project that was due the next day (and it was at 11pm at that). Nora and Neo, despite not having anymore work to do and being exhausted, stayed with Ruby in the e-lab as she worked on a coding assignment. They fetched her coffee refills, helped keep her focused, and when Ruby was all finished at about 12:30, she thanked them both profusely, certain that she never would have been able to finish her project. She gave Nora a hug, and Neo remembered noticing how long the hug lingered, so long that it made her think that maybe Ruby liked Nora as more than a friend (Ruby being gay had come up long before; same for Nora being pan. Neo had yet to mention her own sexuality, mostly because she wasn't sure of it, but she soon figured it out). Ruby then let go of Nora, looked at her in the eyes for a moment, then turned to Neo, smiled at her, and gave her a long, tight hug as well. By the time that hug had ended, Neo reached a realization. She wanted to hug Ruby like this more, because it felt so good. And she wanted to hug Nora. Maybe hold their hands, hug them both, kiss them maybe? They all came to understand what was up when Nora and Ruby walked Neo to her dorm (Nora and Ruby were roomies while Neo lived in a different building), and before they could close the door, Neo stepped forward and hugged them both, making sure to hold them long enough for them to know that she wasn't hugging them to say goodbye—she was hugging them to let them know that she didn't want them to go. Ever. She spent that night with them instead. The three of them first kissed each other that night at around 3am, because it's hard to sleep when sharing a bed with two other people, but at least they were lying awake together.

Remembering this somehow made Neo feel a little warmer. Just a year before that night, Neo felt she didn't have any friends and would just be a loner throughout her time in college. But then that night came, and she had two sweet, funny, beautiful girlfriends who adored her. Even as her classes became more and more difficult, having Nora and Ruby to go to for comfort made everything else easier. In a way, she suspected that if not for Ruby and Nora, Neo would have dropped out of school by now. They always seemed to find a way to make the world seem a little less scary, which was something Neo had always needed.

She knew all too well how scary the world could be. And knowing that, she was happy to be here instead. The only thing that could make this better would be if Nora and Ruby were with her. But of course, Nora had to lift her weights, and Ruby had to go run. When did Nora say they'd meet back up? An hour? Neo didn't want to have to wait that long. Besides, she was sure there was some rule about how you shouldn't stay in a hot tub for too long. That meant she'd have to get out and get dressed soon, and she had the sneaking suspicion that the swimming pool would not feel this relaxing.

She leaned her head back a bit and silently groaned. Even if this hot tub felt really nice, she was no longer freezing her butt off, and now she was lonely, so she decided to go ahead and get out.

She stood up, and as the water trailed away from her body, the air clashed with her damp skin, and just like that, she was shivering again. She mouthed a swear word and trudged out of the water and onto the cold tile floor. Her wet bare feet slapped against the floor as she went over to the bag and unzipped it. Her breath hissed through her clenched teeth as she fumbled to get her swimsuit out. She yanked it from beneath a towel and began to attempt to put it on, only to remember that taking a wet swimsuit off was difficult enough, but putting _on_ a dry swimsuit while soaking wet? Well, it wasn't going well. She managed to get her legs into the thing easy enough, but tugging the straps over her shoulder was a challenge. The amphibious fabric clung to whatever part of her body it touched, and she had to manually peel it off and try to work it further up. She hadn't even gotten her boobs covered up when she heard the locker room door open. In a moment of panic, Neo's brain went "Oh shit, person, can't let them see me, must hide" despite this being a locker room where nudity was to be expected and...none of that mattered, she paniced and jumped right back into the hot tub, sinking down deep enough for the water to obscure her all the way to the shoulders, and she continued to try to work her shoulder straps up. All she could hope now was for whoever had entered the locker room—

"Hey Neo!"

Neo flinched so hard she sent water splashing out of the tub. She still hadn't gotten her chest covered, so she gingerly turned her head around to see Nora standing in the doorway, a little sweaty and breathing hard. Neo smiled at her, hoping she wasn't noticing her state of undress.

"Yeah, so...I got a really bad bruise." Nora continued.

Neo blinked and couple times, and she frowned. "What happened?" She asked her.

"Oh, I just...kinda dropped a dumbbell on my shin." She stuck her leg out, and Neo could see the blue mark on her leg. Neo wanted to climb out of the tub and try to comfort Nora, but...she couldn't at the moment. She _could_ , but she wouldn't.

"It hurts pretty bad, so I figured I might join you, if that's cool with you?" Nora asked.

Neo gritted her teeth behind a closed-mouth smile. She nodded despite the fact that she was not ready for company.

Nora smiled. "Awesome! I'll just shower off real quick then..." She paused, something catching her eye. "Wait..." Then she grinned. "Oooo, Neo," She giggled. "Just said F-you to the swimsuit, huh?"

Neo looked down and realized her bare shoulders were visible. She dipped herself down lower, her chin touching the water, but she knew Nora had caught her. The tub suddenly felt a little too hot.

Nora giggled, putting her hand to her mouth. "I mean, it's not like I have anything to wear into the water with me, so..."

The water was _really_ hot now.

"But..." Nora shook her head, shrugging one shoulder. "Don't...I don't wanna make you feel weird or anything, I'm mean...it's okay if I join you even if—"

Neo reached a hand out and waved at her to stop. Nora could be so cute when she got nervous about "being weird." "I don't mind," she said to her. "I was just taken a little off guard when you came in here."

Nora nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I did kinda come back earlier than I said I would." She flashed a thumbs-up. "But hey, if you're cool with it, I'll hop in with you in a bit! BRB." She then turned and left the doorway, heading to the showers.

Neo sighed, relaxing a bit now that she was alone again. She looked down at her body, seeing her bare upper torso through the rippling water, with her black swimsuit covering her from the navel down.

Well, if Nora wasn't going to wear anything, then what point was there to keep this thing on? Besides, she didn't feel like explaining why she only had her swimsuit on halfway. She knew Nora would get a kick out of it.

Neo had seen her girlfriends naked. They came to the gym and, ergo, changed clothes in the locker room together all the time. Nothing beyond playful teasing and joking compliments had come of such situations, but Neo would have been kidding herself if she thought she didn't have to force herself not to stare. Nora and Ruby were very attractive young women and that was easy for Neo to see. Whether she _desired_ them in that way wasn't something she was certain of yet. She definitely loved them both, but desire was a different feeling.

This would be a big test of that feeling.

While being mindful of the sounds of running water in the other room, Neo stood from the water just so she could shimmy her swimsuit off and ring it out. She got it wet for nothing, but she tossed it back over with her stuff all the same. Then she stood still for a moment, looking down at the water, and down at her naked body, and realized how surreal this felt, willingly allowing herself to be in a situation where Nora would see her...well, see her but while obscured by the water. It felt weird, not in a bad way, just in a way that made Neo feel uncertain.

But she knew she trusted Nora, so no matter how uncertain she felt, she did not feel nervous.

She settled back down into the water, her bare backside against the smooth tile. She wondered how close Nora would sit to her. She wouldn't mind her being right next to her, just...she didn't want her to touch her. Or at least, she wasn't sure. She wouldn't mind holding hands, of course. Maybe leaning on her shoulder. A hug might be nice...

Neo had no idea what she would get into, mostly because she didn't even know what she wanted yet.

She heard the shower turn off. Knowing Nora would reenter the room didn't worry Neo. In fact, she was a little excited. Just as she had started to feel lonely in here, Nora showed up. At least now she had an excuse to remain in this hot tub; having Nora there made it worthwhile. If only Ruby were here too.

Nora entered, and Neo, just as she had many times before, forced herself not to look directly at her when she knew she was naked. She knew Nora wouldn't care if she did look at her, but...Neo couldn't get past what might happen in her head if she allowed herself to...

"Don't be so shy," Nora said, softer than before. Neo was looking at her legs, deliberately focusing her gaze away from Nora's more private areas of her body. "Neo, for real," Nora continued, chuckling as she stepped toward the tub. "You can look. We've been dating for so long, you don't have to keep..."

Neo felt a little embarrassed. If she didn't want to look directly at Nora at first, she certainly wouldn't want to if Nora was prompting her. She turned her gaze toward the water, pressing her lips together.

Nora sighed as she stepped into the tub. "Sorry. I know this...might be kinda awkward." She stepped down a little further, then lowered her way down until sitting. She was next to Neo, a small gap separating them. "Do you feel uncomfortable?"

Neo shook her head. Uncomfortable wasn't the right word. She felt more than glad to have Nora here with her. It was just that uncertainty. She had no clue what to do in a situation like this, being naked with one of her girlfriends but in a non-sexual situation. Did she want it to become sexual? If she didn't, how could it continue otherwise? Would they just...sit and chat while waiting for Ruby to arrive? She hoped Nora had a better clue than she did.

Nora giggled sweetly, reaching out and putting a soft wet hand on her shoulder. "I know...sexual stuff isn't really your thing, so if you get uncomfortable for any reason, just let me know, okay?"

Neo smiled. It was this consideration and openness that had made her gravitate to Nora and Ruby in the first place. They would always listen to her, and they always made sure she knew that. If she ever needed them to know something, even if it meant stopping everything just so they could focus on what she was signing or writing, they would always listen.

 _They would always listen_ _._ That was it. That uncertainty Neo had been feeling. She felt unsure because she was so used to not being heard. But with Nora, with Ruby...they always heard her. They would always know exactly what she wanted, because they cared for her like no one else did.

She so desperately wanted Ruby sitting on her other side, but Nora was here, and...

Neo moved a little closer to Nora, and before the taller girl could say anything, Neo leaned over and kissed her. Nora had always been fun to kiss, because in every facet of her life, Nora always seemed like the expert who knew exactly what to do, but when Neo kissed her, it was like Nora finally resigned to letting someone else guide her. Neo had never kissed anyone besides Nora and Ruby, so she knew exactly how they liked to be smooched. Nora in particular liked to be kissed softly, with Neo caressing her lips so lightly that they almost didn't touch at all. It was the hand placement that mattered, how Neo would put one hand to Nora's cheek and other elsewhere, whether on her shoulder, her back, and if she was being playful, her butt. Holding her in place, that was the most important part of kissing Nora. It's like she would fall half-asleep in Neo's arms, her sleeping half dreaming something pleasant while her waking half kissed her back.

For this kiss, Neo placed her free hand on Nora's chest, right over her heart.

Nora let out a light hum to let Neo know to give her a moment. When Neo parted from her, Nora took a couple slow breaths before opening her eyes and looking at her, her blue irises taking a metallic tone in the gray tiled room. "Neo," she breathed, placing a kiss on her forehead. "T-Tell me what...what do you want me to do?"

Neo understood what she was asking. She was asking for more than just what she wanted from her. She wanted to check what Neo wanted out of this entire encounter. This was it, the moment Neo would choose between keeping things as they had been, or...

Neo took a deep breath, then looked Nora in the eyes. Just as she did, she lowered her hand on Nora's chest, just a little, as a way of asking permission. Nora understood that very moment, and she smiled. She nodded her head and leaned forward a little, just enough to touch her forehead to Neo's. "Baby...do whatever you want to, okay?"

Neo smiled and pressed her forehead against Nora's, then took her up on her offer. She reengaged their kiss, then lowered her hand a little more until cupping Nora's breast, the first time Neo had ever touched Nora or anybody sexually, and crossing such a barrier made her heart rate spike. Hearing Nora's soft moan only compounded Neo's excitement. This was uncharted territory and Neo was more than ready for the adventure.

Nora placed a hand on Neo's face as the kiss deepened, the warm water running from Nora's fingers and onto Neo's face. The light contact from Nora made Neo want even more, and she moved closer to her, hopping up and sitting in Nora's lap. Nora wrapped her arms around Neo and held her tight. Neo moved her hand away from Nora's chest and leaned against her, their half-submerged bodies pressing against one another as the pressure between their lips increased until parting. Nora gently licked Neo's lips, and Neo responded by engaging a full-on French kiss, gripping Nora's shoulders to pull herself as close to her as possible.

It all felt so...intense. So exhilarating that Neo felt she was getting swept away by the feelings of need, the desire to do more with her lover, things she had never been able to do with someone, someone she loved. Why hadn't she done this sooner?

Well, she knew the answer to that question, but that no longer mattered. Right now, she didn't have to worry about being hurt. Despite the things she went through when she was younger, she was better now, safer now. She had fallen in love with two people she knew would always be there for her, two people who would always put her first...and knowing that made Neo want them both even more.

She had Nora right now, but...Ruby...

Neo parted from Nora and raised her hand. She made an "R" with her hand and motioned like the sign for "flower," her namesign for Ruby. Nora looked at her for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "I know, I want her here, too."

Neo signed a question, "Do you think she'd want to join us?"

Nora sighed, holding Neo a little tighter. "Honestly, I don't know. I don't know how interested she would be, but...I know for sure that I've wanted this for a long time."

Neo's eyebrows went up. "You have? But you never said anything."

"I wanted to wait," Nora explained, putting a hand to Neo's face. "I wanted to wait until you and Ruby were ready. I didn't want to push either of you, because I know, for you especially, how important that is..." She gave Neo a kiss on the forehead. "I know you've been through a lot, and so...to make sure you were the one standing on your own two feet for something as intimate as this...I thought I'd let you decide when to make the move."

Neo smiled at her, feeling some pressure behind her eyes. _This_ , _this_ exactly, was why she loved Nora. She had never known someone so thoughtful, so mindful to make her feel so empowered to be herself...

Neo nodded rapidly and crashed back into Nora with a kiss, rough and hard. When they parted again, Neo put her hands to Nora's face and nodded one more time. She wanted this, she _desired_ Nora, because she felt how much Nora loved her, and she loved her back just as much.

But Ruby...

"I don't want to do this without her here," Neo confesses to Nora. With it being just the two of them, the situation felt incomplete. This was their first time, and Ruby needed to be a part of it.

Nora seemed to understand that, nodding. "I can get my phone and call her here."

Neo pursed her lips and nodded, but then put a hand on Nora's shoulder, uncertainty taking hold. "Should we wait instead?"

Nora blinked. "Do you want to wait?"

She stared at her, feeling how genuine Nora was being, but Neo couldn't bring herself to say yes. This newfound need could not wait any longer, she wanted to act upon it. "Please call her."

Nora nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'm on it, baby." She then lifted Neo off her lap and sat her back down on her seat, but before she got up, her hands lingered where they were, her one arm under Neo's legs, and the other around her back. Nora looked at Neo for a moment, and Neo, seeing that look in Nora's eyes, knowing exactly what she was thinking, grinned at her and winked. Nora blushed and chuckled in response. "I love you so much."

Neo made a heart with her hands, and Nora climbed from the hot tub to make her way back to the locker area to get her phone. This time, now that Neo had allowed her mind to go _there_ , she afforded a look toward Nora's body as she left, specifically the girl's bare bottom. Neo smiled as Nora disappeared through the doorway, her heart fluttering at finally allowing herself to look at Nora like this and to think about Nora in that way...picturing her closer to her, her naked body in full view, Neo no longer avoiding the sight...

And Ruby...maybe...both of them?

That's when it first hit her: Was Neo about to make love...with two sweet, beautiful girls at once...in a hot tub? Now?

She suddenly because ten-times more nervous. Or rather, excited? Both.

She heard Nora's voice in the next room, on the phone with Ruby:

 _"Ruby, we need you in the locker room...No, everything is okay, but_ we _need you...Neo and I need our sweet flower with us...Thank you, love. Hurry to us, okay?...We love you too."_

Nora smiled and sighed. _The way she talks to Ruby is so sweet..._

Nora returned to her, standing over her, and Neo looked at her directly, bypassing her former modesty and taking in all of Nora's beauty at once, her toned muscles, her slim waist that curved on the way down to her hips, her strong thighs, her...

Neo had never looked right at another woman's...well, in person, but...just with Nora being _right there_...so close Neo could touch her...

_Wait...Nora shaves. I never thought of doing that. What if I did?_

"Neo baby?" Nora called to her.

Neo blinked, snapping from her trance/daydream and looking up at Nora's lovely face.

Nora leaned her shoulder against the doorway, looking at Neo like she was the nighttime sky on a cloudless night. "I love you with all of my heart. Never forget that, okay?"

Neo smiled and nodded, holding up an ILY and blowing her a kiss. She then pointed at Nora and made the sign "beautiful" about ten times, making Nora laugh and blush.

"So are you, baby."

They stared at one another for a few more seconds, then Neo got tired of the distance between them and got up out of the hot tub. She hurried over to Nora and hugged her, putting her lips against the cool damp skin just above Nora's collarbone and letting the taller girl encircle her with her arms. Neo felt one hand on her lower back, with the other placed softly on the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.

"You're sure you're ready for this?" Nora asked her, just to make sure.

Neo nodded just a bit, keeping her lips to Nora's skin, eyes closed, enjoying the new feeling of their nude bodies against each other. She was content with just staying like this until Ruby came back. Nora was a good hugger.

"So, in that case..." Nora said, running her fingernails across Neo's back lightly, giving her tiny chills up her spine. "You wouldn't mind if I..." She reached her hand lower and pinched Neo's bottom.

Neo jumped from surprise, pushing back from Nora and bit, and playfully shoved her, grinning. It didn't hurt; she just wasn't expected it. And also, _she just touched my butt like it was nothing...so that means I can too?_

Nora was too busy giggling to notice Neo's stealthy approach. "You are just so adorab-AHH!" Neo got her back, giving her bottom a pinch. "Owwie! I didn't pinch you _that_ hard!"

Neo shrugged innocently, smiling at how cute Nora looked rubbing her butt where she had pinched her and pouting. With Nora leaning down a bit, Neo was able come right up to her and kiss her, no tip-toes needed. Nora responded to the kiss by getting a revenge pinch on Neo. Neo recoiled in alarm and stomped her feet to show how annoyed she was, but Nora just simply grinned at her. "Now we're even."

Neo wanted to explain to her that they definitely were not even, but instead opted to try and get her back. But this time, Nora was ready for her, and thus ensued a chase around the locker room. Neo lunged for Nora's butt, but not hopped out of the way and ran into the locker area. "Oh no you don't!" Neo followed her, a wide grin on her face, running after Nora in an attempt to exact revenge on the girl's backside. Nora managed to evade her and run into the shower area, which turned out to be an unwise decision. Now she was cornered, and Neo approached her slowly, pinching fingers at the ready. "Have mercy!" Nora begged, trying and failing to control her laughter as Neo closed in on her. Just as Neo was about to triumphantly reach out and pinch her...

They heard the locker room door open.

It might have been Ruby, but what if it wasn't? This would be an awkward situation for someone to walk in on them. Thinking quick, Neo waved Nora into one of the shower stalls. They hurried into it and shut the curtain. Neo turned on the water to make the situation a bit more conspicuous, but of course, showers in the middle of winter don't warm up very quickly. The freezing cold water hit Neo's body, she freaked out, slipped on the tile floor, and Nora had to reach out and catch her before she fell. However, despite successfully grabbing her by the shoulders, Nora then lost her balance, and they both went tumbling, crushing through the shower curtain and onto the ground.

Ruby turned and looked at them, seeing Neo lying on her back with Nora right on top of her, both naked. "Huh," Ruby hummed, then chuckled. "You started without me."

Nora and Neo scrambled to their feet at the appearance of their girlfriend, and they both hurried over to her, capturing her in dual hugs. "Oof!" Ruby grunted from the impact.

"Ruby!" Nora cheered, hugging her by the neck.

Neo was hopping on her toes while hugging Ruby's body, demonstrating how happy she was to have both girlfriends with her now.

Ruby was understandably taken off guard by...probably everything about the situation. "So...what were you two doing?"

"Pinching each other's butts," Nora answered. Neo nodded.

"And I missed out?" Ruby asked, laughing.

"But before that..." Nora continued, releasing the hug enough to look Ruby in the eyes. "We...had a moment, and Neo realized that she..."

Neo stepped back to sign to her, first taking a deep breath, then smiling up at Ruby as she said, "I want us to make love together."

Ruby's mouth dropped open a bit, blinking in surprise. "Really?" She shook her head. "H-Here?"

"If you would be okay with that," Nora told her.

Ruby stepped back a little to think, but then, Neo noticed her eyes wandering to them, noticeably looking lower than their eyes. Neo had to keep herself from grinning, knowing Ruby was looking at her body, and she was liking what she was seeing. Ruby was obviously struggling to respond, so Nora stepped forward and kissed her cheek. "If you want to join us..." she graced her hand over Ruby's face. "We'll be in the hot tub."

"Oh," Ruby cooed, blinking as she watched Nora go by. Neo smiled at Nora as she caught her winking at her, and Neo knew to follow, but not before landing a quick kiss on Ruby's cheek as well.

Nora and Neo reentered the hot tub area and stood next to each other for a moment. Neo looked up at Nora, smirked, then finally pinched her butt.

"Ah!" Nora flinched, then laughed as Neo shot her an ILY and stepped back into the hot tub. Nora shook her head affectionately and stepped in with her.

They left a small space between them, because they had a feeling they would be joined soon. In the mean time while they waited, they held hands and never once took their eyes off of one another.

"I love you," Nora whispered to her.

 _I love you too,_ Neo mouthed back.

"Girls...?"

They both turned their heads to see their missing piece, standing in the doorway, her workout attire long gone. She rubbed her elbow, keeping her ankles crossed as she glanced to the ground sheepishly, but the small smile on Ruby's face proved that she was only partially managing to contain her excitement as she stood naked before them. She looked up at them, tilting her head to the side. "May I join?"

"Please do," Nora said, failing to curtail the urgency in her voice. Now that Ruby was here, the situation felt whole. Now it could truly begin.

Ruby approached the edge of the hot tub, and Nora and Neo scooted apart to allow her a spot between them, but Ruby stopped and glanced at Neo. "You know..." She stepped to the side. "Since this was Neo's idea..." She stepped into the hot tub on Neo's other side, putting _her_ in the middle. "She should get all the attention."

Something in Neo's chest did a somersault at the way Ruby said the word _attention_.

Nora scooted back over to Neo and smiled, placing a hand on the smallest woman's thigh. "I agree."

Neo looked over at Nora to see a small smile on her face, the ginger girl's eyes only half open as she got closer to her.

Neo was so distracted by the look in Nora's eyes, she didn't realize that Ruby had moved so close that their bodies pressed together, and Neo could barely blink before feeling Ruby's hand on her face. Neo looked toward the shimmering eyes of her brunette girlfriend and accepted her advance as Ruby kissed her. Neo let her eyes flutter shut as she reached an arm up, placing it on Ruby's shoulder. She felt Ruby settle her hand on her thigh, in the same spot that Nora had her hand on the other leg. Neo felt her heart thump against her chest, sending little bolts of energy through her body, down her abdomen, to near where her lovers' gentle hands patiently waited.

Neo's lips parted from Ruby's enough for Ruby to speak, her voice low and rough in a way that made Neo's spine tingle. "If you need us to stop just reach out and grab our arms, okay?"

Neo opened her eyes and nodded. Back when they had started to get more intimate with their kissing and making out, they established a way for Neo to alert them to stop—just reach out, grab their arm, and squeeze over and over really quick. Neo had done it a couple times before after getting a little overwhelmed, and Nora and Ruby always stopped. Just another way they knew how to listen, even if she never made a sound.

Nora leaned over and kissed Neo's cheek, garnering to attention. Nora smiled at her. "What do you want us to do?"

Neo took a deep breath through her mouth as her mind raced. What _didn't_ she want them to do? At this point, she trusted them no matter what. They knew not to do anything unusual without asking, and they knew to constantly check on her...

"Anything," Neo signed, her breathing becoming more rapid. "Anything. Right now, anything." She then grabbed Nora's face with both hands and kissed her, making the girl moan in surprise, then exhale through her nose as she relaxed. Nora still had her left hand on Neo's thigh, her right hand traveling up to Neo's shoulder before being taken by Ruby. Ruby guided Nora's hand to her head, inviting her to lace her fingers through her hair as Ruby rested her cheek on Neo's shoulder. Ruby slowly moved her hand up from Neo's leg, her fingertips trialing along her body, up her stomach, over her ribs, toward Neo's chest. Ruby turned her head a tiny bit to whisper in Neo's ear. "I'm gonna touch your chest, okay?" Neo responded by putting a hand up in Nora's hair and intensifying their kiss, a positive reaction to Ruby's words.

Ruby let her hand move up just a bit more, then settled over Neo's right breast, gentling holding on as Ruby began to lay small kisses on Neo's neck and shoulder.

Neo felt her heart flutter again, like it already had a few times before. She parted from Nora's lips and stared up at her, but the feeling of Ruby lightly groping her caused her eyes to flutter as she leaned back toward Ruby, turning her torso to make it easier for her to touch her. Neo leaned her head onto Ruby's shoulder, allowing her to touch her as she pleased. Ruby put her nose to Neo's head and kissed her, whispering, "I love you so much, baby."

Neo nuzzled herself a little closer to Ruby, but then something clicked. The feeling of need that she had been experiencing earlier was coming back, and Neo desperately wanted it acted on. Feeling Ruby stimulate her chest, feeling Nora run her hand back down toward her thigh...

Neo put her hand over Nora's, pressing it against her leg, and then slowly spread her legs to the sides. She heard Nora gasp in surprise as she guided Nora's hand toward the inner part of her thigh. She looked over at Nora, reached up and graced her thumb over her girl's cheek, and Nora responded by kissing her wrist, then moving her hand up Neo's thigh until reaching...

Neo gasped as she felt Nora slip a finger past her labia, barely moving against her most sensitive spot. Ruby kissed her cheek as she let her hand move from Neo's breast down to her leg, pulling it to the side a bit more. Neo looked back and forth between Nora and Ruby to see them both smiling back at her (with Nora biting her lip a bit), and all Neo could think to do was adjust her position to be as comfortable as possible, spread her legs a bit more, and close her eyes. She raised her hands to sign, "I want it, right now," and then tucked her hands to her chest and resigned her body to her lovers' control.

"Wanna help me?" She heard Nora ask Ruby.

"I'd love to," Ruby answered, and Neo felt another hand make contact with her between the legs.

"Neo," Nora said. "I'm going to keep rubbing your clit, okay?"

Neo nodded, still keeping her eyes shut.

"Can I finger you, baby?" Ruby asked her.

Neo bit her lip and nodded.

"Stop us if you need to," Nora said, "We love you."

"We love you so much," Ruby agreed, and then Neo felt Ruby press a finger into her, only slightly, but it was enough to enter her, and Neo's breathing back even more shallow.

"Hey Ruby?" Nora said.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Kiss me while we do her?"

Neo felt them both lean over her body. She opened her eyes to see their lips lock, their gorgeous bodies moving into her view, and she felt Ruby press into her a little bit more.

Then Nora lightly rubbed her finger over her clit again.

Not long after that, Ruby had pressed her finger all the way into her and began to curl it inside her, just enough to to make her body shudder.

Neo had to fight to keep her eyes open. She wanted to watch as they kissed each other, but every little movement, every time Nora rubbed her, every time Ruby pulled out, pushed back in, and fingered that sweet spot that made Neo squeeze her hands into fists, the harder it became to resist throwing her head back and sinking into the gradually building sensations. She forced herself to keep her eyes on them, in awe as she watched Nora and Ruby's lips and tongues dance, but soon enough, it all became too much, and she squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her head back against the edge of the hot tub.

This was the first time she had even been touched by anyone else, and she had already made her mind up that she wanted this again. The way Nora and Ruby worked together, the way they seemed to move in time with Neo's breathing and involuntary movements, all while kissing one another...

She felt it. Like an oncoming tidal wave in the distance, Neo felt it coming. She tapped both girls' backs, garnering their attention. Neo signed "Close. Talk to me." She wanted to hear their voices.

Both Nora and Ruby, without missing a step, moved their faces closer to Neo, with Nora lying her head on Neo's shoulder while Ruby, in order to keep a good angle with her arm, hovered over Neo's face, stroking forehead with her free hand. "We love you baby."

"You're so amazing," Nora added, nuzzling her face against Neo's chest.

Hearing their voices made it feel like her climax was going to come even quicker. Neo's body shivered as she squeezed her eyes shut. Nora's hand moved quicker, Ruby's fingers moved in longer, more sustained strokes. They made sure that Neo's build to a release would not subside.

Neo managed to form her hands into ILY's as it became too hard to do anything else. She was so close...

"We love you, Neo," Nora reminded her. "You're our baby and we love you."

"You'll always be ours," Ruby added. "Our beautiful girl, we promise to always love you."

"Are you about to cum, Neo?" Nora asked.

Neo nodded, and the very next moment, she did. The tidal wave hit her, and she arched her back, an incredible feeling of bliss washing over her entire body.

"We love you," both of her girlfriends told her.

Neo began to come down from her climax as Nora and Ruby removed their hands from her pussy. As Neo descended from her high, she desperately reached out and wrapped each arm around her girlfriends' necks. She felt tears in her eyes, a reflex from the waves of emotions and passion she just experienced. Nora and Ruby tucked their faces against Neo's cheeks and wrapped their arms around her. Ruby hooked an arm under Neo's legs and lifted her a bit, cradling her.

Nora and Ruby whispered sweet reminders to her of how much they loved her, how beautiful she was, how happy she made them feel. Neo, too exhausted to respond, soaked it all in, their loving words and gentle touches filling her heart with joy. The afterglow of her climax continued on as they held her. She felt she would fall asleep soon, but...

They heard the locker room door open.

The three of them looked back and forth between one another.

"Oh no," Nora murmured.

"How long can we hold our breath?" Ruby asked.

Neo quickly stood to her feet and pointed to the door to the sauna. "Hide," she signed and hurried over to it.

Nora and Ruby, seeing no better option, hurried to their feet and followed her. They managed to shut the door just as they heard voices speaking in the locker area.

They would have to wait it out until the coast would be clear. In the mean time, they passed the time by continuing what they had begun earlier. Nora wanted some attention now.


	2. White Rose (NSFW) for aarontica on tumblr

**White Rose (NSFW)**

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible" is what Weiss Schnee heard her girlfriend say over the sound of the shower when Weiss arrived home.

Why did she date a girl who had the entire Bee Movie script memorized? Why did she date a girl who would recite said Bee Movie script in the shower? Why did she date a girl who did all of this just to prove to her sister that she could?

Why did she date a girl who hogged all the hot water?

Weiss let her head fall forward as she dropped her purse on the floor. The voice of her beloved Ruby continued to recite the ramblings of Barry B. Benson, the door to their sole bathroom left ajar so the world could hear her. As charming as Ruby's...weirdness could be, Weiss was not into it at the moment. Weiss had just gotten home after an eight hour shift at an ice cream shop that was doubly exhausting because of the romantic antics her co-worker/future sister-in-law Yang got up to. Her light blue polo shirt reeked of "work smell," her feet ached from continuously standing in the same space for hours on end, and her hair felt like damp curtains hanging down her back because she had been too tired the two previous nights to shower.

And now, as she finally arrived home, and as she had finally worked up the motivation to actually enjoy a post-work shower, her dolt of a girlfriend was stealing her thunder, and the hot water that their apartment was notoriously short on.

Weiss dropped her keys on the dining room table and went straight to the bathroom.

"Ruby fricking Rose," she greeted her.

"AAAAH!" Ruby screamed. Her silhouette was visible through the white shower curtain.

"What are you doing?"

"Everyone knows you sting something you die, you don't waste it on a squirrel!"

"Quit thinking bee for five minutes."

"THINKING BEE, THINKING BEE!"

Weiss took a few steps forward and pulled the shower curtain aside enough to poke her head in. "Why are gay people so annoying?"

Ruby looked over at her, then flinched and used the back scrubber she held in hand to shield her naked body. "Ah! The nerve!"

Weiss hated her brain for making her mouth smile when she was trying not to. "Ruby dearest, what have we discussed about the shower?"

Ruby relaxed from her faux covering posture. She looked around at each individual wall, the ceiling, and the floor, then back to Weiss. "It needs cleaned."

"Yes, what else?"

"It...'s really sexy when I strike this pose?" She put her finger to her mouth, turned her butt towards Weiss, and bit her lip.

"Don't distract me while I condescend to you," Weiss told her. "We discussed not showering one after the other because the hot water runs out."

"Ha! But I'm not running the water hot!"

"You're literally a tomato right now."

"Ah, so you've noticed the hue of my gorgeous naked body?"

"I swear to god..."

"Wanna come get yourself a spoonful of this Campbell's tomato soup?"

"You know what, yes."

Ruby laughed. "Wait, that worked?"

"Ruby..." Weiss tossed the shower curtain to the side, stepping back. "I have been at work since nine this morning." She began to unbutton her polo shirt as she continued her mounting rant. "I have had to endure two school buses worth of children's ice cream requests, one very _very_ picky mother ordering a very _very_ specific ice cream cake for her kid's three-and-three-quarters birthday, you sister's hopeless lesbianism, and a callus on my heel that has probably grown to eclipse the size of the state of New Hampshire. I almost got into a wreck on my way driving home, and I lost my chap stick so my lips have been in an agonizing state of minor discomfort all day." She had taken all of her clothes off by this point. "And all I wanted, _all I wanted_ , was a nice, relaxing hot shower once I got home." She stepped into the shower with Ruby. "So that's what I'm gonna do." She drew the curtain closed.

"You're pretty hot when you rant and it's not because of me," Ruby told her.

"This _is_ because of you."

"I stand by my statement."

"Move," Weiss said, stepping around Ruby and standing beneath the running water. The hot water hit her face and ran down her body, and it felt as if the stress and exhaustion of an entire week was being melted away. She audibly sighed as her muscles relaxed and the tension in her shoulders faded.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby spoke, taking on a quieter tone. "I am sorry. I forgot about the shower rules. You know how I is."

"Yes, I know how you is," Weiss said, as she took a step back. She kept her eyes closed, but she found her way to Ruby, pressing her back up to her, reaching up and putting a hand behind Ruby's head. "And it's okay."

"Do you feel better?" Ruby asked, putting her arms around Weiss, laying her hands on the shorter girl's lower abdomen.

"Yes," Weiss admitted. "Though I'd feel even better if you washed my hair for me."

Ruby giggled and laid a kiss on the top of her wet head. "You got it, babe."

Weiss allowed herself to completely relax for the first time in a long time as she felt Ruby go to work on her hair. The feeling of Ruby's hands massaging her scalp was enough to almost make Weiss want to fall asleep then and there. Instead, she turned around, put her nose to Ruby's collarbone, and hugged her, all while Ruby continued to wash her hair.

Ruby giggled. "It's taking a lot of will power for me to not kiss you on the head right now," she admitted.

Weiss chuckled, hugging Ruby a little tighter. "You can kiss me all you want once you're done."

"I like the sound of that."

Weiss sighed. "I'm so tired."

"You work so hard," Ruby murmured to her. "Let's rinse you off now."

Weiss nodded as she kept her face against Ruby's chest. Ruby guided her backwards, placing Weiss under the flow of warm water and wiping away the bubbly shampoo.

"Thank you for working so hard for us, Weiss," Ruby said to her. "I'm so proud to be your girlfriend."

Weiss' lips curled into a smile against Ruby's damp skin. Even if her job was exhausting, the genuine appreciation Ruby regularly showed her made it worth it. Weiss could always look forward to coming home at the end of every day just so she could be with her beloved. Nothing felt better than to be with Ruby, just the two of them, in their own little piece of the world.

When Weiss felt a kiss on her head, she knew Ruby had finished rinsing her hair off, which meant she could take the opportunity to wrap a leg around Ruby and pull her down just enough to kiss her back. Their lips met, and Ruby took the cue to put an arm under Weiss' backside and lift her up just enough so Weiss could wrap both legs around her. Ruby held Weiss up against the wall, still kissing her. She knew from experience what to do now. Weiss had just come home from work, tired and frustrated. All she needed now was for Ruby to love her the way she always had. And that's exactly what Ruby did.

Their lips parted, but before Weiss could open her eyes to look back at her lover, Ruby had already lowered her head enough to lay the lightest of kisses on her neck. Despite the slight sensation, it was enough to make Weiss curl her fingers, squeezing her hands into fists not because of what she was feeling, but from what she knew was coming. "Ruby..." Weiss hummed, wrapping her arms around the slightly taller, stronger girl's shoulders.

"Yeah?" Ruby hummed between kisses to the neck. She was starting to pinch Weiss' skin with her teeth every few smooches.

"Be gentle, okay?" Weiss asked. "I want it to be gentle."

Ruby leaned up and kissed her cheek. _Gentle_ was one of the many ways Ruby knew how to go about moments like this, and it was also one of her favorites. "Anything you say, my love."

"I love you," Weiss murmured.

"I love you, too, Weiss," Ruby said back, then began to lower Weiss down, letting one of her legs go so Weiss could plant a foot on the floor, but Ruby kept her against the wall with the other leg raised up and to the side. Ruby was once against looming about Weiss, and when the white-haired girl peered up at her, she shuddered at the look in Ruby's eyes. She saw how much Ruby adored her, as well as how much she wanted to make Weiss feel as good as possible. Weiss knew she would do it, too. She felt it coming, like the wind gusts of a storm front, with a lightning storm soon to follow.

Ruby had Weiss' other leg raised for a reason. Ruby moved her own leg beneath it, and propped her foot on the edge of the bathtub they stood in. She kept Weiss' leg to the side while freeing both of her hands. The two made eye contact, both exposed and vulnerable before one another, yet safe and protected. Ruby reached out and took one of Weiss' hands, interlocking their fingers and squeezing tightly. With the other, Ruby gently placed in on Weiss' side, right where her rib cage led down to the curve of her waist.

"I love you," Ruby told her again, moving a bit closer. She didn't take her eyes off of her, even as Weiss' breath hitched and fluttered as Ruby's hand began to move from her side toward her stomach, and then further down. "I love you so much."

Weiss' breathing was shallow and rapid. She squeezed Ruby's other hand and put her own free hand around Ruby's waist. "I love...you too..."

Ruby's hand paused on Weiss' lower abdomen. Her middle and ring fingers pressed gently against Weiss's pubic bone, just above her entrance. "Ready?" Ruby asked her, her voice breaking with how low and quietly she spoke.

Weiss pursed her lips and nodded, unable to speak as she held her breath in anticipation.

Ruby moved forward and locked lips with Weiss once again, then moved her hand down the rest of the way. Her middle finger moved smoothly and gently between Weiss' folds, causing Weiss' body to flinch and jerk, but she remained secured in Ruby's control. Ruby continued to kiss her, a little more intensely, inviting Weiss to open her mouth so they could make out. Weiss did so, allowing Ruby to push her tongue into her mouth. And at the same time, she moved her hand a bit lower and pushed a finger into Weiss.

Weiss moaned, her eyes opening and rolling back as she felt Ruby's tongue push her own back while she felt the sensation in her core she had longed for all day. With the hand Weiss had put behind Ruby's back, she reached down and grabbed onto the brunette's bottom, holding tight and slightly digging her nails in as the desire she had been holding back for so long was finally being allowed out.

Their lips parted, and Ruby smiled at her. "I thought you wanted it to be gentle," she said, her voice that same low, gritty tone that made Weiss' legs weak. She was obviously referring to Weiss' tight grasp on her backside.

"I said for you to be gentle with me," Weiss told her, breathing deeply. "I can't promise anything about what I might do."

Ruby giggled. "Fine with me." She proceeded to curl her finger inside Weiss ever slightly, teasing at her sweet spot. Weiss' fleeting moment of bratty-ness instantly faded away as she whined and closed her eyes. Ruby chuckled and kissed her forehead. "You're adorable."

Weiss muttered something incoherent, then whined a little louder when Ruby drew her finger out and then pushed it back in slowly. They squeezed each other's hands. "Ruby..." Weiss whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Faster," she asked. "Please."

"Yes, baby." She did as Weiss asked, beginning to gradually pick up the pace, which caused Weiss to begin rocking her body in rhythm with Ruby's movements. Ruby went back to kissing her, every now and then biting Weiss' lips and pushing her tongue into her mouth just long enough for their tongues to grace against one another before pulling out and continuing on. This was how Ruby knew Weiss liked it. She liked to feel multiple things at once, and Ruby was a more than capable multitasker.

"Two fingers..." Weiss begged. "Please..."

She always said "please" and Ruby loved it. She stopped kissing her so she could watch her reaction as Ruby withdrew her finger, then inserted two. Weiss' eyes rolled back, then closed as she moaned, letting her head fall forward and rest against Ruby's shoulder. Ruby took this opportunity to start kissing Weiss' neck again.

"Ruby, I love you..." Weiss breathed, then flinched and gasped. Something had connected perfectly, just a slight movement on Ruby's part that struck the right series of nerves to send Weiss up a notch. "Oh god, faster. Ruby, please, faster."

Ruby not only pushed into Weiss with more energy than before, but pressed the rest of her body up against her as well, holding Weiss against the wall, restricting her movements, and keeping her securely in her grasp. Weiss responded approvingly, wrapping her free arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulling her even closer, wanting to feel Ruby's body press against hers even harder, the pressure on her chest making it harder to breathe, which only heightened the array of sensations she felt shoot through her body. Weiss had reached the point where she could no longer think of what she wanted, because she already had it. Desire was replaced with euphoric acceptance as she held all that she needed against herself. With one hand holding onto Ruby's, and the other with fingertips pressed against the subtle divots and curves of the muscles along Ruby's upper back, Weiss felt the her final ascent towards her impending climax. "Ruby, I'm close..."

Ruby responded by giving a bit of skin on Weiss' neck the slightest bite, which made Weiss moan loader than before, and triggered her orgasm. Weiss thought nothing and felt everything. Ruby was inside her, and Ruby was encasing her, surrounding her in tight, loving warmth. She let her body go limp because she know Ruby would hold her up, and she sank into the this absolution of every good feeling she could ever imagine, all at once.

Ruby was here, and she would always be here. All for Weiss.

"I..." Weiss could barely speak the only words on her mind as Ruby's movements sustained her orgasm even further. "I...I love you...baby..."

Ruby, fully aware of what she was doing, leaned her head back to whisper in Weiss' ear. With that same low, rough tone that made Weiss' ear ring and her head spin, "I love you, too, princess."

"Ahh...AHH!" Weiss climaxed again, this time with no gradual build up. It all came at once, because Ruby knew it would if she talked to Weiss that way, all while maintaining her magical movements inside her. The use of the word _princess_ also helped motivate things a bit further.

They both could have kept going. Weiss had a history which proved her longevity, and Ruby was the epitome of stamina, but Ruby detected that Weiss was coming down, and coming down fast and hard. On another day, they could have kept going till the hot water went out, but if Weiss was as tired as she was when she got home, she was undoubtedly exhausted now. If Ruby kept her like this, pinned against the shower wall, all of her body weight entrusted to Ruby, Weiss would be asleep in under a minute. Instead, she gently held onto Weiss' leg that Ruby had kept propped up and slowly lowered it down. Weiss, with her nose pressed firmly into the curve of Ruby's neck, whined distantly at being moved from her comfortable position. "I know," Ruby murmured to her. Her voice was still low and quiet, but that roughness was gone. Ruby could only ever manage to bring that grit into her voice in the heat of the moment. Now, she spoke with that careful sweetness that Weiss knew so well and loved so much. "I gotta dry you off, though," Ruby reminded her.

"Don't let go of me," Weiss mumbled, her words just barely audible with her lips still pressed against Ruby. Weiss still had her arm around Ruby's shoulders as if she had never been this close to her before and was afraid that letting go would mean never being this close again.

Weiss would always get to be this close, of course. But she didn't want to wait until next time. She was right where she wanted to be, and there was nothing Ruby could do to get her to let go, towels be damned.

Ruby shut off the water, then planted a kiss on Weiss' head. "If I don't dry you off, we'll just track water all over the apartment."

"Mmm..." Weiss whined, apathetically.

"And we'll get our PJs wet."

"Mm-mmm..." Weiss whined, sourly.

"No PJs?" Ruby asked.

"Mmmmmmm..." was Weiss' answer.

Ruby giggled and kissed the top of her head again. "Tell you what...if you let me dry you off, I'll carry you to bed."

Weiss tightened her grip on Ruby's shoulders. "Errrrrr..."

Ruby sighed. "Don't make me resort to drastic measures."

"Errrrrmmmm...!"

"I gotta though."

"ERRRRMMMM!"

Ruby reached around and pinched Weiss' butt.

"GAH! Fuck you!" Weiss exclaimed, flinching and separating from Ruby.

Ruby smiled at her victoriously. "Nah, I'm good."

"Not what I meant!" Weiss continued to berate her.

Ruby pulled the shower curtain aside and grabbed a towel off the nearby shelf. "How ungrateful."

Weiss pouted, but she had no comeback for her smirking significant other. Instead, she sighed. "You sure you don't want me to make you...?"

Ruby unfurled a white towel and draped it around Weiss. "No, baby. I'm okay."

Weiss nodded, accepting the feeling of the soft towel around her body. Ruby always reaped enough pleasure from making Weiss feel good. She never liked receiving pleasure unless she was giving it to Weiss in return, and even then, Ruby always prioritized Weiss over anything else. Besides, tonight was obviously Weiss' night. Ruby could always count on her to have "I love you" as the only thing she could say when she would peak. And right now, as usual, Ruby felt completely fulfilled.

Ruby finished drying Weiss off, then dried herself off quickly so she could pick Weiss up into her arms and take her to bed as promised. She carried Weiss koala-style out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. With Weiss keeping a secure hold with her arms and legs around Ruby, Ruby reached out with both hands and drew the sheets back.

"Ruby..." Weiss murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Go make sure the door's locked."

"Okay, babe."

They both had gotten used to this strategy by now: sometimes Weiss really wanted to hug Ruby without letting go, while Ruby had to turn off lights and check locks and take her nightly medicine. The first few times it was impossible to get through it all without giggling and stumbling around, but now it was normal, the closest thing to a bedtime ritual they had. So Ruby walked from their bedroom to the front door, confirmed the locks were engaged, switched off the living room light, then turned and headed to the kitchen, all while Weiss clutched securely onto Ruby's body. With Weiss' smallness and Ruby's strength, Ruby didn't even need to hold her to keep her in place, she just navigated the kitchen with both hands free to open cabinets, retrieve a glass and her medicine, fill the glass with water and take the meds. It was kind of like Ruby was wearing a backpack frontways, except the backpack was her small naked girlfriend. And yeah, even if Ruby could carry her hands-free, she couldn't just _not_ hold onto Weiss' butt as she carried her back to their bedroom.

Ruby shut their bedroom door, switched off the light, and carried Weiss over to beside their bed. "Ready?" She asked her.

Weiss nodded.

Ruby then fell sideways like a tree. They both flopped onto the bed. Weiss still kept her arms and legs securely wrapped around Ruby.

"Nice," Ruby congratulated her on not letting go.

"I nlumve you," Weiss said, her voice muffled against Ruby's shoulder.

"I nelumbv you too," Ruby said back. She reached back and grabbed a handful of bedding, and she slung it over their bodies. It parachuted down and settled over them. "You wanna stay like this or spoon?" Ruby asked, this time in a whisper (covers on=whispers on).

"Spoomm," came Weiss' muffled answer.

Ruby waited. "Then let go so I can spoon."

"One minute," Weiss said as she moved her face away from her just enough to speak clearly.

"Stay like this much longer and your leg will go numb," Ruby spoke from experience.

Weiss let out the longest, deepest sigh she could muster. "Fine," she grumbled, then finally released her hold on Ruby's body. They both adjusted their positioning in their bed until they were in perfect spooning position, Weiss' back nestled into Ruby's arms like...well, spoons.

"Good night, Weiss," Ruby told her beloved.

"Good night, Ruby," Weiss said back, her tiredness evident in her lulling voice.

"Thank you," Ruby said.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Weiss exhaled and nestled into Ruby a bit more. "Thank you, too."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And then they went silent, and Weiss soon fell asleep. When Ruby heard her soft, steady breathing, Ruby give Weiss one more kiss on the head, then drifted off herself.

* * *

"Fuck!"

Ruby's eyes jolted open. She looked around at an empty bed, no sign of Weiss. "What?" Ruby called out.

Weiss walked into their bedroom, the bathroom light behind her still on. "I forgot conditioner last night."

Ruby rubbed her eyes, then looked back at her girlfriend to confirm that, no, her vision was not playing tricks on her. "Your hair frizzy."

"My hair is frizzy like all four corners of fuck it is!"

"I'm sorry," Ruby murmured. "I should've conditioner'd your hair before I, like, did you."

Weiss sighed. "It's fine. You don't use conditioner yourself so I don't blame you for letting me forget."

"Hey, I use conditioner."

"If you're thinking of that Dove stuff, that's body wash."

"What?"

Weiss turned and returned to the bathroom. "I'm taking another shower."

"Cool," Ruby called back.

"Gonna join me?"

"Is this your way of asking me to do you again?"

"I need conditioner," Weiss answered.

"Fine, I'll do you again," Ruby murmured, crawling out of bed.

"Yay," Weiss feigned excitement.

"Oh, okay, never mind then."

"No, I'm kidding, please..."

Ruby giggled as she entered the bathroom. "That's what I thought." She shut the door behind them.


	3. Baked Alaska (SFW, Ice Cream Shop AU) for aarontica on tumblr

**Baked Alaska (SFW, Ice Cream Shop AU)**

_She's...so short..._

_I don't know why I can't get over how short she is._

"Weiss." I grabbed my coworker's arm. "Question."

A scoop of mint chocolate chip hit the floor.

Without even looking at me, she grumbled, "Yang, don't grab my arm while I'm mid-scoop."

I couldn't help but chuckle, while also hoping she wouldn't make me clean up the ice cream off the floor. It dropped out of _her_ scoop after all. "Sorry. But I needed to ask you something."

She finally turned to look at me. She had circles under her eyes. I mean, I knew she was tired, but did she have to be so loud about it? "Ask away."

"Okay, sooo..." I leaned down and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, then discreetly pointed her in the direction of... _her_. "That girl, right?"

"Yeah?"

"She's insanely short."

"I guess?"

"She looks like she could either be in her twenties, but also, like, ten years old."

"Yang—"

"I mean, I know she's not actually ten years old, but look how short she is. She's tiny! She—"

"If you like her so much, why don't you just ask her out?"

Weiss. You fool. You absolute buffoon. "I can't...what? What?! Are you serious right now?!"

Weiss continued to glare at me. "I've been here since nine this morning..."

"I can't just ask her out. Do I strike you as the type to be able to ask a girl out?"

"You're going to be waiting a while for her to ask you out, seeing how she literally cannot speak."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Weiss, she comes in here so often, and she always smiles at me like...like you know when you see a smile, and it's like, genuine, and...like, really nice to look at?"

"As smiles tend to be?"

"But when _she_ does it, it gives me heart palpitations."

"So ask her out."

She's trying to kill me. "You're trying to kill me."

"Yang, if you think she might like you, and you most certainly like her back, you should just ask her out."

"Don't try to solve my problems with logic, Weiss. I'm gay and that never works." Whatever Weiss said to me after that, I didn't know. I turned to look at the girl and everything else tuned out.

She sat at one of the little tables in the ice cream shop. Even in the little chair, her toes only barely touched the floor. She wore a white short sleeve top and a brown skirt. She had probably the coolest hair style I had ever seen, mostly pink on one side and brown on the other. Every time she came into the shop, she ordered a different kind of ice cream from the last time and sits down, takes a picture of it, and takes about an hour to finish it all. The first few times she came in, I thought it was odd behavior, but by this point, it was the highlight of my day. Anytime I work a shift and she doesn't show up, it's a bad shift at work. But when she does? Literally the best day at work ever.

I don't really know why I like her so much. Maybe I just have a thing for short girls? Most girls are short compared to me, so that might not be specific enough. Maybe it was her amazing hair? Did I just like her aesthetically? No no no no no, she's really pretty. Super pretty, like holy shit. When I look at her I think "That's a face I wanna cover in kisses." Or, at least, maybe we could go out for coffee? Or dinner? A picnic?

"Why does she take pictures of her ice cream every time she gets one?" I asked Weiss. At least, I think I said it out loud. I was still kinda in a trance.

"I don't know," Weiss answered. I guess I did say it out loud. "But you know who does? She does. Maybe you should go over there and ask her."

"Weiss, I caaaaaan't."

"Don't think of it as asking her out," she told me. "Just talk to her. Ask her questions, be friendly. If she ever wants to talk to you more, then you talking to her now would make her that much more comfortable."

The thought of the girl coming up to me and wanting to...just _talk_ to me? What a concept. "Okay, fine. Your logic wins again. The only problem is I'm kinda on the clock—"

"Take your ten minute break," Weiss, who also happens to be an assistant manager, deadpanned. "We're slow anyway. Go talk to her."

I smiled at her. Even if she could be kind of a hardass to work with, Weiss was a cool person. And I'm not just saying that 'cause she lives with my sister. "Thanks, Weiss."

"Don't mention it," she told me.

"You're so sweet."

"I said _don't_ mention it," she repeated, then headed to the door that led to the back room. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, come wake me up."

I showed her a thumbs-up. "You got it, boss." I then turned my attention back to the girl. She now sat eating her ice cream, taking slow, deliberate spoonfuls, and also typing on her phone between tastes. Was she an ice cream critic of some sort? Was she taking notes?

I remembered what Weiss told me. I should be asking _her_ all of these questions. I should actually _talk_ to _her_. That is, so long as I don't trip and fall on the way over to her. Not the kind of icebreaker I wanted to go for. Or...more like ice- _cream_ -breaker, right?

I should probably keep the puns on the down-low...

I took a step toward the girl, and oh god it's happening, and then I took another step, and oh shit I can't do this, but oop, there my legs go, carrying me into a situation I would never be ready for. Then again, my breaks last ten minutes in real time but like three minutes in brain time, so best to get this done quickly. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? She could say no, and then I would cry for a while, but then what? Life goes on. Just with a lot of crying mixed in. And no cute short gf to hold whilst crying. Totally fine, I would _totally_ survive that.

_Don't think of it as asking her out_ , Weiss' words ran through my head. _Just talk to her_.

Right...right, just talk. Talk to her like a friend. A friend who is really pretty, and has really cute dimples. I'm probably going to die.

"Uhm..." I murmured as I walked around to the other side of the little table from her, leaning to the side into her line of sight. "Hello." I waved.

She looked up at me, and I probably should not have waited until now to remind myself of her eyes, because not only are they, like, the coolest things, what with them being heterochromatic and all, but they're just dazzling. Not to be a total fanfiction protagonist or anything but her eyes made me feel so many things, like a desire to stare into them for an entire day, or stare off into the distance and contemplate how I had managed to live so many years of my life without those amazing eyes to look at.

Whatever sliver of a train of thought I had had was gone now. I acknowledged that she waved back at me but I didn't respond. She smiled at me. Dimples. Eyes. Baby...

Not sure how long it took me, but I eventually realized I shouldn't leave it up to the girl who can't speak to carry this conversation. I shook my head in an effort to clear my thoughts and chuckled nervously. "Sorry, uh...I just wanted to say hi."

She waved at me again, just as happily as she had the first time.

I smiled back at her, while also making a conscious effort to not start daydreaming again. I felt so happy, because she smiled at me. Like she always does, I know. But I still wasn't used to it. "Uhh, could I sit with you for a bit?"

The girl blinked a couple times, then nodded and gestured toward the seat across from her. Just because I was so nervous, I moved a little too quickly I'm sure, because I had sat down before she had even drawn her hand back from gesturing to the chair. When we made eye contact again, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, like a silent laugh. My heart fluttered because _I made her laugh?_

Silence followed, because again, I was relying on the mute girl to carry this conversation. "Uh, I just wanted to talk to you, 'cause you come here so often and yet...like, I don't even know your name."

She grabbed her phone off the table and typed something really quickly. She then sat her phone back down on the table screen-up and slid it to me. I look down at the screen and read what she had typed:

_"My name is Neo. What's yours?"_

I grinned. "Neo." Somehow her name lived up to the cuteness bar the girl had set for herself. "Wait, Neo? Like, Neapolitan ice cream?"

Neo smiled and nodded.

I laughed. "That's awesome! No wonder you come here so much, huh?"

Neo looked to the side and shrugged. So cute...

I almost got lost in her eyes again, but I noticed her looking down. I blinked, then realized she was glancing at her phone. "Oh!" I chuckled. "Sorry." I slid her phone back to her.

Neo rolled her eyes and tapped the screen of her phone with her nail. I looked back down at what was typed, _"My name is Neo. What's yours?"_ , and I realized I had completely ignored her question. "Oh, right, that!" I laughed, but my nerves were mounting. I thought I could be pretty smooth, but it wasn't coming to me. I was no match for her. "I'm Yang."

She grinned and nodded. I assumed that meant she liked my name. She picked her phone back up off the table and started typing more. When she set it back down, right under her previous text, she had typed more:

_"I've come here so many times but I never knew your name."_

"Yeah, I never knew yours either," I said. "How's that work? Oh! That reminds me. I wanted to ask you something."

She nodded her head ever slightly, her wide eyes (which I deliberately avoided) telling me she was listening.

"Well, I was just curious about...like, you come here so often, and you get something different every time, and you always take a picture of your ice cream and then you eat it real slow, like...are you a food critic or something? I'm just really curious."

She had already picked up her phone and started to type, but she still kept her eyes on me. She was typing blind as if it was normal for her. So cool...

Her response: _"I'm an ice cream blogger. I like to come here to try out different stuff, and I post about it online."_

"Woah, that's pretty cool," I told her. "Ice cream blogger" sounded why better than working in an actual ice cream shop. I was a little jealous of her, for that _and_ because her hair looked so good. "What's your blog called?"

She stared at me for a moment, like she was confused, but then she picked her phone back up and typed up her answer: _"Cherry Top Circus. It's not very popular but it's just a fun thing I like to do."_

"That's awesome! I'd love to look at it sometime. I've always been so curious of what you were taking those pictures for so that's cool!"

She looked a little nervous, looking to the side. She didn't reach of her phone, so she didn't have a response.

"Or...you don't have to be nervous about me looking your blog over. I'm not gonna, like, tease you about it." I laughed, though I felt like her nervousness wasn't because she didn't want me to look at her blog. Maybe she felt awkward because I'd be reading the critiques of ice cream _I_ had prepared? "And if you posted bad reviews about my ice cream, I won't blame you for it. We are pretty mediocre, I think."

She grinned and shook her head. She picked her phone up, and I felt relieved that she was responding: _"I've never written a bad review about your ice cream."_

"Oh." I don't know why I felt flattered. I don't really take that much pride in the ice cream I make, since it's my job and it's not exactly _fun_ , but knowing _she_ had complimented me on it made me feel good nonetheless. "Thank you."

She smiled and typed up some more. _"This is honestly one of my favorite places to come to."_

I smiled at her. "That's awesome." Okay, maybe I should be taking more pride in my ice cream making skills if they attract such attractive clientele.

I glanced at the clock on Neo's phone. My ten minute break was already halfway over.

Then again, if Weiss needed to be woken up from her nap like she said she would be, maybe I could stretch my break a bit longer than ten minutes? Especially if no one came in the front doors, what harm would it do? Besides eventually annoying Weiss, of course, which I figured I could afford.

What else could I ask Neo? I now knew why she came here so often, and why she hung out for so long. I was beginning to silently panic because of my lack of conversation topics. _Keep it together, Xiao Long,_ I told myself. Keeping it together in front of this girl was not easy, though. Pretty soon I would devolve into bad jokes and puns and I could not afford to allow that to happen...

Neo picked up her phone and began to type again. Thank goodness...

She said, _"Hey, you seem pretty cool, so could I get your number? Maybe we could hang out, you know, when you aren't working?"_

I tried to hide how happy I was to see that she'd asked me that, but my cheeks were already straining from how big I was smiling before I could do anything about it. _She wants my number. She wants my number?_

I should probably give her my number. So I typed it out on her phone, right under what she had just typed.

Neo smiled as she took her phone back and began to type something else out. However, when she seemed to be finished with whatever her next reply was, she didn't put her phone down to let me read it. Instead, my own phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled up out to see a message from an unknown number: _"Hi ;D"_

I giggled (and I mean _giggled_ ), and I replied to her message with a sunglasses emoji. I then added her phone number to my contacts, under the name "Neo" and a few heart emojis.

Neo sent me another message: _"This'll also make it a lot easier to talk to you, instead of passing my phone back and forth :P"_

I nodded, still grinning. "True. And also, I can bug you whenever I want now."

Neo silently laughed again and typed another message to me. It read, _"Bug me all you want. I said I think you're cool and I meant it."_

"Well thank you. I think you're pretty cool yourself, Neo-politan."

She smiled (dimples). " _That's my last name, actually."_

"'Politan'?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Oh my god, that's absolutely amazing." For some reason, my brain immediately followed that up with _Yang Politan._ I don't even know why my brain thought name changing fantasies were appropriate at this time, but I now had to do my best to keep my blushing from becoming too noticeable. "Neo Politan. You know, I don't think anyone is going to believe me when I tell them that's your name."

_"They usually don't,"_ Neo replied with a smile.

I would have asked her if there was a story behind her name, but we were interrupted by a very groggy Weiss stumbling out from the back room. "Yang Xxxxiao Looong!" She rubbed her eyes. "Get...your break time is up." She followed that up with the longest yawn I had ever held witness to.

Yang glanced back toward Neo, who was chuckling at my coworker's antics. She then waved at me as I stood to head back behind the counter.

"I'll text you later, okay?" I told her. She nodded, and we exchanged smiles one more time before I turned and returned to my work station.

Weiss was rubbing both eyes when I stepped up to her. "Have a good nap, bossman?"

"I'm so fffucking tired," she grumbled, then spent the next ten seconds continuing to rub her eyes. "So how did...how did talking to the short chick go?"

My gaze shot over towards Neo. We made eye contact. She definitely heard Weiss. "Weiss," I murmured, looking back toward her. "First off, you're a short chick too, you hypocrite. And second, _lower your voice?_ "

Weiss shook her head. "Sorry."

"Do you even remember what it was like to be single and gay?" I asked her.

"Yes. I spent most of my life as both, and still experience the latter."

"Then you should help me out here by not….doing that."

"I said sorry."

We were interrupted by the sound of a loud engine approaching our store front.

"Oh no…." Weiss muttered. "Bus."

I turned to look out the front windows, and sure enough, several children were already offloading a bus, heading straight for our front door. "Oh damn."

Weiss picked up an ice cream scoop and gripped it with both hands. "May our ancestors guide us wisely through this storm."

"What?" Weiss got weird when she got tired.

The doors burst open, and the children began to run up to the glass panel over the ice cream display cooler. They were followed in by a very tired looking adult guardian. The children proceeded to fight over who was first in line.

I glanced toward Neo, and understandably, she picked her cup of ice cream up and began to slip out of the newly crowded parlor. But before she left, she waved her phone in the air toward me with a smile, as a reminder to text her later. I grinned and waved back, and I watched as she went out the front door and walked along the sidewalk and out of my sight. I'm not sure how to explain it, but that last little smile and wave from her just felt so good, like it just affirmed that I would see her again soon.

That almost made the next hour of children ordering ice cream feel not as exhausting as it was. Almost.

* * *

It might sound a little crazy for me to admit that the only thing that kept my brain from completely melting into goo during work was constantly thinking about the next chance I'd get to text Neo, to talk to Neo, to see Neo...and what about her blog? To read her insights on ice cream, and her name literally being Neo Politan? That blog of hers had to be the cutest thing on the internet. It could not possibly not be the cutest thing.

All of this failed to change the fact that I was absolutely spent once my shift ended. So spent that I didn't remember that I could text Neo whenever I wanted to until I got to my apartment. When I arrived there, though, I bolted to my laptop and searched up "Cherry Top Circus," texted Neo a _"Hey ;P"_ , and then proceeded to obsess over the various posts on the blog.

I hadn't yet come across a post about the ice cream shop I worked at when I got a text back from Neo: _"Hi!"_ And you know what else she sent me? A selfie. She's winking, she has a peace sign to her face, she's grinning and she's just...That selfie soon became my phone background. If she was trying to make me fall for her even harder than I already was, she was succeeding. Holy shit, was she succeeding.

I guess sending her a selfie right back would be the proper response? I'm not the best at selfies, at least I don't think I am. My thumb always ends up in frame somehow. Nevertheless, I tried. I leaned back a bit in my seat, extended my phone out as far as possible, and snapped a selfie. I took a moment to look at it before I sent it to Neo.

I wasn't really sure what I was doing _while_ taking the selfie, but upon reviewing the image, I apparently decided to _also_ wink, and for some reason pucker my lips out, like I was doing my best impression of the winky smoochy emoji. I don't even know...I sent it to her anyways. Maybe she'll think I'm charming because I came nowhere close to matching her cuteness. Then again, doing so would probably be impossible.

She texted me back: _"XD You're funny"_

Then right after that: _"And cute"_

I'm _funny_ and _cute_? That's two compliments back-to-back. Wow. I guess I _am_ good at selfies. I texted back: _"That really means a lot coming from the cutest thing in the world"_

Okay, that might have been laying it on a little too thick. We're just friends, right? Friends don't call each other the cutest things in existence? Well, I mean, I say things like that to Weiss a lot, but that's just me mocking her. Neo doesn't think I'm mocking her, does she?

Neo responds by sending me three heart emoji. I must've flattered her, which makes my insides feel all fuzzy.

Neo follows up: _"So what you up to?"_

I answer: _"Checkin out your blog ;)"_

It takes her a couple minutes to respond: _"Oooh what do you think?"_

_"I love it!"_ I tell her. It's all pastel pick and yellow and the font is curly and cute. It's exactly what you'd picture an ice cream blog looking like, turned up to an eleven. _"I haven't found any posts about my ice cream yet tho"_

_"Oh you know, I've got a really deep queue so it might be a while"_

Neo had been coming to my ice cream parlor for a while now, so that seemed a bit surprising. These posts were from a ton of different places, though, so she might just be super busy with these sorts of things, or maybe she just was behind on writing posts.

I made the decision then that I was going to make the move, to ask Neo out. Or, well...maybe not _ask her out_ , but maybe ask to hang out sometime? I knew she would say yes. She basically already had, but for some reason I was still nervous.

I held my breath while typing my next message to her: _"So when would you wanna hang out together?"_

She was a quick responder, which I appreciated. It felt good to know she was just as eager to text me as I was to text her. _"When are you off work next? We could meet for coffee, or go to a park?"_

Coffee and the park? Even her date ideas were adorable. Okay, not a _date_ , but still... _"I'm off work tomorrow! And coffee sounds awesome!"_

This was materializing before my very eyes. I was actually (kinda) going out with Neo on a (sorta) date.

Her response: _"Okay! Meet me at Beacon Bean at noon?"_

Me: _"It's a date!"_ I had to say it, I _had to_.

She sent me a blushy smily face, and while I know we just had the perfect sign-off for our conversation, setting up our next meeting and all, I still wanted to text her. I still wanted to shower her in compliments and I wanted her to shower me in more hearts and smilies, but I didn't want to flood her phone. Instead, I should just steep in anticipation for our meet-up the next day. And scroll through her blog for the next two hours reading about why rocky road is grossly underrated and why butterscotch ice cream "Doesn't deserve rights." Neo's a really funny blogger; I laughed about two dozen times while reading her posts, and thats not just because I like her. She's legitimately an ice cream blogger. She is completely justified in calling herself that because this blog is legit.

I couldn't sit there and stare at ice cream for the rest of the night, though, even if I really wanted to. I had to, like, eat and stuff. And maybe go to bed at a decent time. I was still exhausted from work, but now my mind was racing to the point I doubted I'd even be able to fall asleep if I tried. But I closed my laptop anyway and went to the kitchen to search for a normal meal. And by normal, I mean _not_ frozen waffles or pudding cups.

I ended up eating cereal. And some vanilla ice cream that had been in the freezer for a while because I had ice cream on my mind. I lose the dinner-cooking game for tonight.

Even though she probably doesn't have a reason to text me anymore, I can't help but hope she does. Even as I lie in my bed and try to sleep, I find myself unconsciously lying on my side so I can stare at my phone as it sits screen-up on my night stand. Am I a little too fixated? Maybe. Am I kind of falling in love? Like not just in a joking way but, like legitimately? Maybe. I catch feels easily, I guess. Or at least, for Neo I do.

I fall asleep eventually, my brain's desire to rest overtaking my brain's desire to NEO NEO NEO NEO. I actually slept pretty well. Apparently obsessing over a girl as intensely as I had that evening really takes it out of you.

* * *

The next day, we met up at the Beacon Bean coffee house just as we agreed to, and you're gonna have to give me a second...

FUCK

ME

SIDEWAYS

AND

CALL

ME

MARTHA

This girl had the absolute audacity to show up to our date wearing what scientists might call a once-every-500-years cute outfit. Shit like this doesn't just _happen_. Neo did this to me on purpose. She shows up wearing a white blouse with pink flowery designs all over, a pleated khaki skirt, fucking _suspenders_ , fucking **_over-the-knee_ _socks_** , and red low-rise Vans. She might as well have just entered the coffee shop and shot me on sight with a bow and arrow labeled "useless hopeless lesbian."

Send me prayers, 'cause I now had to figure out how to _talk_ to the girl without blabbering like a goat on shrooms. She sat down across from me at a vaulted table by a big window overlooking the nearby street, and she flashed me the biggest smile possible. She waved hello, and I waved back, because I wasn't confident about whether my voice would even work if I tried speaking.

What was I wearing? It almost feels irrelevant to mention, but I had on a purple button-up and jeans. I rolled up the sleeves of my button-up for The Looks, you know, but this is about Neo. Holy shit.

She sent me a text: _"Hello!"_

"Hi!" I said back, sounding totally normal. Now that she was sat across from me, her lower half obscured by the table, I was deprived of a view of her over-the-knee socks (which if I wore them they'd probably be closer to crew length). But this gave me the luxury of getting a better look at the rest of her outfit, like how her suspenders had little yellow triangles stitched along the black fabric, and how they peaked just a bit as they went over her chest and up over her shoulders. (It's the "chest peak" with suspenders that gets me. You know when the...when the boobs make the suspenders kinda just...bow out...a little?) I was getting distracted again, so she sent me another text:

_"I really like your top!"_

She's complimenting _my_ clothing? Honey no. " _My_ top?" I chuckled. "What about your...everything? You look amazing, and...adorable, and, just...woah, Neo."

Her cheeks started to turn pink halfway through my stuttering compliment. She grinned and shrugged her shoulders, quickly typing up and sending me a response: _"I was kind of worried you wouldn't like it."_

She couldn't have been more wrong. "This is probably the cutest outfit I've ever seen a girl wear. And trust me, I've seen you wear some cute shit at the ice cream shop." Which reminded me... "Oh! I love your blog! It's just...you're hilarious, and the design and layout is just so fun, you're really good!"

She shrugged again, breaking eye contact for a moment, then typed a response: _"It's just a hobby of mine."_

Her bashful humility was endearing. I could tell she was proud of her work, but she didn't want to let on. "So..." I propped my elbow on the table, resting my chin in my hand. "When are you gonna post reviews of _my_ ice cream?"

I had expected her to turn a darker pink and smile at my teasing, and while she did blush a bit more, she looked down and gritted her teeth a bit. That's when I realized something was wrong, and I leaned forward a bit to ask her, "Is everything okay?"

She looked back up at me, pursed her lips for a moment, then typed a text to me and sent it: _"I wasn't completely honest with you about the blog posts actually."_

I read the text twice over. "Oh." I murmured. I looked back to her. "How...so?"

_"I do run that blog, with a friend of mine anyway, but I actually haven't written that many posts about your ice cream."_

I blinked a couple times. "Then why do you come in so often?"

She took a deep breath and sighed again. _"Well, I don't write post about it because the only reason I come there so often is to see you."_

My heart leapt into my throat when I read that.

Then she sent: _"I know I seem like I'm taking my time tasting the ice cream and stuff, but I just do that so I have an excuse to sit there, look at you, hope that you'll come talk to me because I don't know how to make the first move, so..."_

When I finished reading that texted, I looked up at her to see her biting her lip, nervously looking up at me. But I couldn't say a word.

She came in so often just to...just to see me? Because she already had a crush on me? All that time she was faking it just so she could be around me as often as possible?

She texted again: _"I hope you're not mad that I lied to you. I didn't want to admit why I was really there because I thought it would creep you out or_ something."

I immediately shook my head after reading that. "Of course not, Neo. I'm...I'm actually insanely flattered right now, like...you came in so often just to see me? Just because you liked me?"

She nodded, then texted: _"Now that you finally asked me out, I'm just scared that I'll lose this chance because I wasn't honest. I'm sorry."_

"Don't be," I told her, unable to keep myself from laughing. "Neo, that...that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. You spent so much time just sitting there just because I was there too. I just..." I struggled to find the words to describe how overwhelmed I felt. "That's romantic as fuck."

Her eyebrows went up. She seemed unsure if I was serious.

"For real, Neo. I...I feel thoroughly romanced right now." I wasn't lying either. Neo spent all that time just in hopes that I would notice her. Well I sure as hell noticed, and now here we were, on a date. "That's so sweet of you, Neo."

_"You aren't mad about me lying?"_ She asked me.

"Of course not. I'm flattered beyond compare. I..." I laughed. "I can't express how happy I am. I mean, all of this is just...perfect. Knowing we were crushing on each other that whole time, and now we're here..."

Neo smiled at me again, like she had a thousand times for weeks now, but this was the first time I had seen her smile like _that_. She wasn't smiling because she was super-duper happy, necessarily, or to get me to notice how pretty her smile was. This was her smiling from genuine relief, and perhaps from the realization that all of this was real now. After so much time spent looking across the room at each other, now we sat across this table, and if we wanted to, we could get even closer.

We _could_ get even closer, because I stepped down from my seat and came around the vaulted table until I was right next to Neo, who was still shorter than me despite sitting on such a high seat. Our eyes met, closer than they had ever met before, and I leaned toward her and gave her a hug around the shoulders. She leaned into it, which allowed me to rest my chin on the top of her head as she hooked her arms under mine in order to maintain our tight hold on each other.

After a moment, I pulled back a bit, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to see what she would do next. I got my answer in the form of a kiss on the cheek, and right then I knew I'd remember that cheek smooch. Like, you remember your first _kiss_ kiss, but instead this was my first _Neo_ kiss, and it was just as memorable, and it left me in a daze for a brief moment.

I didn't come out of that daze until Neo hopped down from her seat and took my hand. I blinked and looked down at the very (very) short girl next to me as she smiled softly up at me. She then nodded her head toward the front counter, which reminded me that we were at a _coffee_ shop yet we had not ordered any _coffee_ yet, and I smiled at her and nodded, letting her lead the way. She kept a firm hold on my hand, like she wanted to be sure not to let me go, and I kept her hand held just as tight. At the register, she ordered a medium sized latte, to which I responded with the first of many short jokes I would levy at her ("You sure you don't want a _short_ latte?"), to which she softly elbowed me, grinned, and shook her head. I shrugged my shoulders like I couldn't help it, but once we had finished ordering and she insisted on paying (despite my protests), we then journeyed back to our table, her clinging to my arm because we both knew this was our first time holding hands, and we wanted it to last.


	4. Baked Alaska (NSFW, Master Chef AU) for a-sammich on tumblr

“TONIGHT, on Remnant’s Greatest Chef, twelve weeks of competition, and twelve eliminated chefs, all brings us to the final showdown! Three chefs remain: Yang Xiao Long from Vale, Neo Politan from Mistral, and Lie Ren from Mistral, all fighting to be crowned the Greatest Chef in Remnant! The stakes can’t get any higher, as the three finalists must prepare a four-course meal for our panel of judges. The chef who makes the best meal will be declared the winner, and they will earn the top prize of one million Lien! Three chefs enter, but only one can leave as REMNANT’S GREATEST CHEF!”

This finale episode had been billed as the ultimate challenge, but a four-course meal was rather run-of-the-mill for Yang by this point (especially compared to that one episode where they had to prepare a dessert that somehow integrated lobster? WTF.) Still, it was difficult work, but Yang was in her element, bouncing around her kitchen with purpose and haste, slicing tomatoes perfectly, hand-making mozzarella perfectly, pulling cookies out of the oven at just the perfect time.

Of course, she knew it wouldn’t be good enough to beat Lie Ren. Neo knew that, too.

It was more than a foregone conclusion by this point. Ren was world class, head and shoulders above them both. Not that Yang was particularly bitter about that. Ren was really cool, actually. Humble and respectful. He really did deserve to win.

_ “Doesn’t mean I have to like him, though,” _ Yang remembered Neo signing to her the day prior.  _ “That guy is taking my million Lien!” _ Yang knew Neo was joking. Neo probably just wanted to make her laugh.

Yang and Neo were familiar with each other before this competition, having met at a convention here, a festival there, and a weird run-in at an ice cream parlor once. But it wasn’t until they met up at the initial contestant’s meeting on RGC did they really begin to hit it off. They were paired up in the first team challenge and ended up winning, and they often hung around one another on set. Then Neo kissed her in the parking lot outside the studio, and Yang, like she tended to, fell hard and fast for the short girl who needed the aid of stepstools to use her range on set.

They had kept their budding relationship on the downlow so the show’s producers wouldn’t catch word about it and exploit it for the show, but every now and then, they’d poke fun at one another on set, like a quick quip from Yang or a taunt from Neo. It was fun, and they knew it would catch the showrunners’ attention and get them a bit more focus whenever the show would eventually air.

Tonight, however, there was no taunting or quipping. Yang and Neo were as focused as ever on their dishes, even if Ren was going to beat them. Just like Yang had told him before the show: “We’re gonna give you a run for your money. All one million of it.” Ren had just blushed and thanked them for being such gracious competitors. “ _ Not all men _ ” indeed, Lie Ren would never.

And yes. After hours of work, Yang finished her chicken Caprese salad with cranberry, Mistrali spiced flatbread with olive oil and basil, grilled swordfish on rice, and hazelnut crème brûlée. She presented her four-course meal to the judge panel, along with her lovely kinda-girlfriend and the patron saint of pancakes himself. The three of them stood side-by-side as the judges tasted their food, gave them compliments and critiques, and, after a commercial break and a shit ton of dramatic music, the host of the show announced Ren had won by unanimous decision. Confetti! Epic music! Gigantic check! Huge-ass trophy! Ren looked... _ really _ uncomfortable with all the fanfare around him, but Yang and Neo both applauded him, genuinely happy for the guy. Besides, they were ready to get out of there. They were  _ exhausted _ . Of course, post-show interviews followed, so they had to stick around for that. Yang had to act like she was disappointed she had lost, while Neo had to act like she was annoyed at the results (which was how the show was trying to paint her all season, even though she didn’t really seem to give a fuck).

After all of that was done with, they were allowed to leave the set for the final time. “I’m so glad that’s over with,” Yang said as she walked with Neo to the parking lot. She had her apron tossed over her shoulder, the top three buttons of her untucked white shirt undone. The cool evening air of Atlas hit her face as they exited the building and made their way to Yang’s rental car (they were staying at the same hotel and had been carpooling for a few weeks now). Neo skipped along at Yang’s side, partly because she was cute and knew it, partly because skipping allowed her to better keep up with tall people like Yang. Her multicolored hair was still pulled back in a ponytail, her sleeves that had been rolled up were now flopping at her wrists, the cuffs unbuttoned.

Yang smiled down at her, pulling her car keys out of her backpack as they neared her black sedan. “So, now what?”

Neo rolled her eyes. “Food? I’m starving,” she signed.

“Same,” Yang said with a nod. “You’d think a cooking show would provide free lunch.”

“The judges get free lunch, not us,” Neo joked.

Yang scoffed. “Yeah, you’re right about that.” They reached the car, and Yang stepped in front of Neo to open the passenger door for her. “M’lady.” She bowed and she gestured to the passenger seat.

“Why, thank you,” Neo said back, curtsying. She then flicked a stray lock of blonde hair near Yang’s forehead, then hopping into the car.

“Do you need your seat adjusted, ma’am?” Yang asked her, fluttering her eyelashes.

Neo responded by sticking her tongue out at her. “I’m fine, but thanks, you skyscraper.”

Yang huffed a laugh and grabbed the seat belt. “Well at least let me help you with this.” She then leaned into the car, pulling the belt across Neo’s lap, all while deliberately bringing her face closer to hers until their lips met in a soft kiss. Yang froze, just as she was about to buckle Neo’s belt, just to linger in the kiss a bit longer.

Neo was the one who parted from her, but not before nibbling on Yang’s bottom lip a little, then smirking up at her.

Yang bit her lip, right where Neo had, and chuckled. “What was that?” She asked, buckling her seat belt.

Neo shrugged as Yang leaned out of the car. “I told you, I’m hungry,” she signed, her hands quick and fluttery. Signed flirting, maybe?

Yang chuckled, feeling her face flush a bit. “For food, right?”

Neo simply shrugged in response to this, then winked at her as she reached for the door, pulling it shut.

Yang snickered to herself as she walked around to the driver’s side, trying to not let herself get too flustered. Neo was so effortlessly sexy; Yang could never be certain if she were doing it on purpose or if that charm just came to her naturally.

Soon enough they were on the road back to their hotel. It was late enough in the evening for the Atlas traffic to have already died down, leaving Yang plenty of opportunities to set the cruise control and try to counter some of Neo’s flirting without getting too distracted. Neo had this sleepy look in her eye, like if she were to sit still for five seconds, she’d fall asleep, so maybe that’s why she kept teasing and flirting with Yang. Yang definitely did not mind, of course. Neo was adorable in such an alluring way.

Their hotel was nothing too fancy, besides the fact that their rooms had full kitchens, and there was a pool, hot tub, and sauna on the premises. Neither of them had partaken in the amenities much, however. They were always either too tired or too busy to bother. But now, since tomorrow would be the day they’d head back home now that the cooking competition was over, Yang and Neo decided to finally take advantage of the kitchen in one of their rooms, Neo’s specifically. Yang’s was a mess.

“What should we make?” Yang asked her, sighing as she stood with hands on hips in the pristine living area right by the kitchen.

Neo responded by unbuttoning her shirt even further, shrugging as she did so. “Something sweet,” she quickly signed before pulling her shirt off, wearing a black sports bra underneath. The smirk on her face told Yang that Neo was well aware of how much she was blushing, and staring. “What? I got really sweaty today.”

Yang chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Cooking while shirtless is a dangerous game. No joke, one time I was frying ham for breakfast without a shirt on and...ya know, boiling grease splatters...”

Neo nodded knowingly. “I know that boiling grease splatters, yes.”

Yang scoffed. “You know what?” She followed suit and took her shirt off as well. Coincidentally, they were wearing matching black sports bras. “I’m not letting you out-flex me.”

“How could I?” Neo grinned, eyeing Yang’s newly exposed arms and stomach. “And don’t even worry about boiling grease, I’m thinking we bake something instead. If I have to stand over a range for even another minute tonight, I’m going to pass out.”

Yang sighed, walking up to her. “I feel that.” She smirked and tugged on Neo’s shoulder strap. “What are you, an A cup?”

Neo backhanded Yang’s hand away playfully. “Muffin pan, please.”

“Muffin pan? Taking it easy?” Yang asked, turning toward the cabinets to search through them.

Neo stepped up near her to get in her line of sight and signed, “If you think muffins are easy, you’ve never done them right.”

“Are you challenging me to a muffin-off?” Yang asked.

“Fuck no,” Neo responded. “I’m through with cooking related competitions.”

“That’s a shame,” Yang chuckled, pulling a muffin pan from the cabinets. “I feel like we’re due a rematch at some point in the future.”

“The distant future, maybe,” Neo said, then gathered a few ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry, then sat them on the countertop. “So I was thinking we—

“You look amazing, by the way.”

Neo’s hands froze mid-sign. “Uh..thank you...”

Yang smiled, biting her bottom lip. “Look who’s all blushy now.”

Neo rolled her eyes, trying her best not to egg her on even further. Instead, she decided to counteract. “Says you, you angel of a woman.” She then opened the bag of flour. “Measuring cups, please.”

“Sure, pint-size,” Yang quipped as she retrieved the measuring cups from a drawer. “Are we still sure about muffins, though? Why not some...shortcake?”

Neo frowned at her. “Short puns? For real?”

“Not a fan?” Yang asked, shrugging.

Neo flicked some flour at Yang, leaving a dusting of white on her sports bra. “Not at all.” The smile on her face suggested otherwise, though.

Yang looked down at the flour on her bra in shock. “Ahh...I see you’ve fired the first round.”

Neo rolled her eyes and returned to focusing on measuring out portions of ingredients to a recipe she had memorized.

“That was pretty  _ low _ , Neo,” Yang joked, then reached around her, grabbed a pitch of flour, and tossed it toward the short chef.

Neo stepped back, jaw hanging open in displeasure. “Rude.”

“Nuh uh, we’re even now. Well...” She gestured as if comparing their heights. “As even as we can get.”

Neo proceeded to hurl an entire cup of flour at yang, the clump exploding in a  _ poof  _ of white when it hit her in the stomach.

“Hey!” Yang exclaimed.

“Cease the puns!” Neo demanded.

“Never!” Yang declared before grabbing some sugar and tossing it into Neo’s hair.

“Seriously?!” Neo asked, trying to shake the sugar from her head.

“We’re even again,” Yang said, shrugging.

Neo grimaced and stepped up to Yang, glaring up at her.

“C’mon, don’t tell me you’ve got a  _ short  _ temper—“

Neo reached up, grabbed Yang by the shoulder straps, pulled her down toward her and locked lips with her. She had taken Yang by surprise, if the following moment of stunned motionlessness was any sign, but then Yang responded by wrapping her arms around Neo’s body and lifting her up with ease, deepening the kiss in the process.

It was as if Yang had been waiting for her to finally make this move for a long time, because soon enough, Yang had carried Neo up to a clear part of the countertop, sat her down onto it, and began to make out with her, all while never letting their bodies part from one another, their chests firmly together in a tight embrace.

Neo wrapped her legs around Yang and let her kiss her, knowing how this had been building for so long between them. Finally getting to act on these feelings was like letting a pot boil over. They no longer had to worry about keeping their growing relationship lowkey. They could finally let the ever-growing love they were feeling for each other show as intensely as need be.

As far as how intense those feelings were, even Neo was surprised at herself with the burning desire she felt for Yang. Just having the tall blonde hold her, feeling her torso move against her, feeling her hips press against the insides of her legs...Neo wanted more. Far more. And she communicated this to Yang by hooking a finger under the waistband of her pants and tugging with earnest.

Their mouths parted as Yang looked at Neo with a wide, desperate gaze. No words were needed for her to understand, and Yang immediately began to unbutton her pants and push them off, revealing her black panties. Neo bit her lip at the sight of Yang’s newly exposed legs and hopped off the countertop to get closer, grabbing Yang by the wrists to lead her to the living area. Yang let out a breathy yelp as Neo guided her toward the couch and pushed her towards it. Once Yang was lounged back, eyes still wide and mouth hanging open, Neo quickly took her own trousers off, along with her underwear, and just as quickly pulled her bra off as well.

Yang bit her lip, moaning quietly before speaking, “Oh gods, Neo...” But she was soon cut off when the short, now nude woman came towards her and grabbed a hold of Yang’s sports bra. Yang gladly let Neo pull it from her body, and once it was out of the way, Neo was on Yang, straddling her lap as she captured her into another kiss. Their tongues tangled together, like a fight for control, but Neo pushed Yang’s head back a bit further, rising up a bit, and Yang moaned in resignation, accepting Neo’s dominance. Neo pressed against her, tongue exploring Yang’s mouth as her hands groped her chest, eliciting more moans from the tall blonde. Yang’s hands rested on Neo’s thighs lazily, as if she were too preoccupied with the various sensations Neo was providing to her to explore her body in return. However, that soon changed.

Impatiently, Neo reached down, took Yang by the wrist, and guided her hand up her thigh, all while firmly keeping their kiss engaged to stifle Yang’s intense moaning. Before she expected it, Yang moved her hand the rest of the way, finding its way to Neo’s clit, and she immediately began to pleasure her. Neo’s eyes shot open in surprise, looking down at the pleasantly closed eyes of Yang’s. The next moment, Neo was squeezing her own eyes shut, intense sensations spreading through her body quicker than she could contain. She thought of nothing better to do but to counter her, moving her hand to Yang’s panties, pushing them to one side and moving her middle finger up her slit before finding her clit.

Their mouths finally parted when Yang let out a loud moan, her body flinching, shoulders back, torso arching forward. “Fuck yes, Neo!” She called out with approval as she started to amp up her movements between Neo’s legs. Neo’s breath hitched, and she once again leaned forward in an attempt to recapture Yang’s mouth in a kiss, but Yang instead reached up with her free hand, cupped the back of Neo’s head, and brought her firmly to her neck. “Bite me...” She whispered, her voice tantalizingly rough. She then tightened her grip on the back of Neo’s head, pulling her hair a bit. “Hard.”

Neo obliged immediately, her teeth catching a hold of the soft skin of Yang’s neck and tugging, causing the blonde to let out another moan. The next moment, Yang’s fingers had moved from Neo’s clit to within her, easily entering her wet entrance. Neo rewarded Yang with another rough tug on her neck, which caused Yang to throw her head back. “Fuck!” She groaned. The next moment, Neo began rubbing Yang’s clit even faster, which only intensified the blonde’s vocal reactions. “Holy shit, Neo...” Yang continued. “Oh my fucking gods...”

At first, Neo’s movements had been deliberate, every bite on Yang’s neck done with great care and purpose, enough to get a reaction but not so much that she might hurt her. But now, with Yang’s fingers curling inside of her, hitting that exact point that was beginning to drive Neo crazy, Neo let herself get carried away. She bit Yang harder, rubbed her clit with even more intensity, she even reached up with her free arm and started to grab tight onto handfuls of Yang’s hair. But Yang never once complained. Hell, she never once stopped moaning at every little thing Neo did. They were in perfect sync—their heart rates elevated, their skin shining with sweat, their breath hot on each other’s bodies, and their limits getting closer and closer as they pleasured one another.

“Fuck, I’m about to cum...” Yang moaned, which only made Neo want to ramp up her movements even more. She moved her hand down a bit, penetrating Yang with two fingers while continuing to stimulate her clit with her thumb. She bit down on her neck with more vigor than before, and tugged Yang’s hair back so hard, Yang’s head pressed against the backrest of the couch. “FUCK!” Yang yelled, eyes going wide. Neo felt Yang’s hand on the back of her head tighten her grip, but she wasn’t pulling her hair, but rather pressing her into her neck further, clinging to her. Neo could feel Yang climaxing, which was enough to finally drive herself over the edge as well. Neo let go of Yang’s hair and instead wrapped her arm around her neck, hugging her as tight as possible as both of their bodies slipped into a state of ecstasy.

Their orgasms faded slowly, but their grips on one another’s bodies didn’t. They stayed as close as they could to each other, listening to their heavy breathing as they came down. It wasn’t until long after that moment did Neo lift her head from Yang’s shoulder to look at her. Yang smiled up at Neo, chuckling lazily. “How are you so amazing?” She asked. Neo shrugged and kissed her lightly in response, then lied her head back down on her shoulder. Yang lied her head on hers as they slipped into a cuddling position on the couch.

After another brief silence, Yang spoke. “You know, I bet if we asked the front desk, we could extend our reservations.”

Neo responded with a nod, which Yang felt against her neck.

“How long should we stay? I mean, I can cancel some private chef appointments if need be. No need to go back home just yet.”

Neo leaned back in order to bring her hands forward to sign a response. “I’m not leaving you.”

Yang blinked at her. “Well, duh. Aren’t we, like, girlfriends now?”

“I mean I don’t want to go back to Mistral if you go back to Vale,” she reiterated. “I want to stay together.”

Yang grinned. “Oh yeah, there’s no way I’m letting someone like you get away from me.” She shrugged. “I guess it would be pretty easy to relocate, what with the quarter-million Lien we each won?”

Neo blinked, seemingly confused.

“Did...did they not tell you about the runner-up prize money?”

Neo remained frozen, eyes wide and unblinking.

“I mean, they didn’t advertise it to the spectators because they wanted to raise the stakes, but you and I are both gonna get two hundred and fifty thousand. It was in the contract.”

“We...get money?” Neo asked, signing slowly and uncertainly.

“Uhh, yeah?”

Neo proceeded to stand up on the couch cushion next to yang and started to hop up and down, her post-orgasm lull long worn off by now, apparently. “I’m rich?!” She signed. “I’m rich! I’m rich!”

“How did you not know?!” Yang asked.

Neo didn’t respond, instead choosing to continue to joyfully hop around. Yang decided to not stop her, despite how mindboggling it was to think Neo didn’t know about winning that money. Besides, it was nice to watch Neo do some joyous living room parkour in the nude.

_ This is my girlfriend now _ , Yang realized as Neo did a ballet spin on an end table.  _ Heh, can I pick ‘em, or can I pick ‘em? _


End file.
